I went through all the gear-inch numbers thing when I picked up a 650c.
The chart didn't translate very well onto the road, but it was really interesting to ride.

Trying to make a 175mm arm turn a 56t ring to make an 11t cog turn a 650c wheel into it's 170 counterpart turning a 53t ring to make an 11t cog turn a 700c equivalent was rather disconcerting, and I hope you get my drift on the numbers game. My body couldn't figure out all the differences, and my feeble brain gave up.

While I thoroughly enjoy watching a true master with a dancing chain, I mash when I have to, spin as little as possible, and try to ride steady. I've not encountered enough frustration to make a lot of changes, and while I like being able to select the right gear to maintain a certain pace, I still like the challenge of blaming myself for lack of fitness. I noticed more fatigue at the end of a century with a straight block rear, so I've raised them a couple of teeth.

There is no doubt in my mind that those who can truly understand their gear inches and adeptly shift their way around are masterful riders, and it's like watching a craftsman at work. They are truly consistent with their engines, and manipulate the machine it pushes to achieve consistency. I'd have to tape my gearing to my handlebars to even begin to do that, so I ask more of the engine, I guess, and less of the tools at my disposal.

Like many of the less skilled riders, I think more about each end of the range than what is truly going between them. Before I try a triple, I'll try a compact, as I just picked up one, a 50/36. Not a big step, I know. I'm still in the stages where I can lower tooth count in the front and raise tooth count in the rear, and be able to ride where I need to go. A triple is not needed, and I'm too confused by all those numbers. However, with an eye on the climbing end, if I have to, I will go that route.

And there's always this; imagine the chart with a 54/42/28: